Police storm mosques in Austria and arrest 13 Islamic extremists accused of recruiting terrorists to fight in Iraq and Syria

  • Some 500 officers raided homes and mosques after two-year investigation
  • Operation covered Vienna, the city of Graz and Upper Austria province
  • Officers also found 'terrorist propaganda', money and files
  • Local media reports one was Bosnian preacher, believed to be ringleader 

By Associated Press and Matthew Blake for MailOnline

Published: 05:59 EST, 28 November 2014 | Updated: 09:03 EST, 28 November 2014

Austrian police have arrested 13 people suspected of recruiting fighters for radical Islamic groups in the Middle East after storming a string of mosques, prayer meetings and homes across the country.

The state prosecutor's office says they were arrested early on Friday in a series of sweeps of Vienna, the southern city of Graz and Upper Austria province.

It says the arrests follow two years of observation of the suspects that included listening in on their telephone calls.

Raids: The state prosecutor's office says they were arrested early on Friday in a sweep covering homes and mosques in Vienna (pictured), the southern city of Graz and Upper Austria province.

Raids: The state prosecutor's office says they were arrested early on Friday in a sweep covering homes and mosques in Vienna (pictured), the southern city of Graz and Upper Austria province.

A statement says searches yielded 'terroristic propaganda material,' an unspecified amount of cash and stored computer data.

The suspects were not identified, in line with Austrian privacy laws, but media reports said a Vienna-based Bosnian preacher, who was the main suspect, was among those arrested in the raids which began at 4am.

About 500 police officers participated in the searches and arrests and found 'terrorist propaganda' as well as cash and files.

On top of recruiting fighters, the Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported that the arrested men were investigated for helping to finance the Islamic State group.

Recruiting and funding? On top of recruiting fighters, the Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported that the arrested men were investigated for helping to finance the Islamic State group (pictured are four members of IS in Aleppo, Syria).

Recruiting and funding? On top of recruiting fighters, the Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported that the arrested men were investigated for helping to finance the Islamic State group (pictured are four members of IS in Aleppo, Syria).

The Interior Ministry says that about 150 people have joined radical Middle East groups from Austria.

According to Austria's English-language news service The Local, Vienna is considered by counter-terrorism experts to be 'a hub of global jihad'. 

In August, nine Chechens who were planning to wage jihad with Isis in Syria were arrested by Austrian police, and are awaiting trial.  

In June, Austria's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism warned over the threats faced by the country.

It said: 'Religiously motivated extremism and terrorism – above all of Islamic character – as well as Salafi-jihadi groups continue to present a great potential threat…The number of young radicalized followers of violent Salafism continues to rise.'

'In this context, the conflict in Syria is of urgent relevance for Austria, since systematic efforts are being made within [Austria] to radicalize and recruit people for the war in Syria…The conflict in Syria has become very popular among violent extremist Salafis.'

'The spectrum of recruits to the conflict in Syria is broadly ethnically diverse. The motivation, however, seems to be uniformly jihadi.'

 

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